Rival political parties clashed during the first session of the parliamentary House Steering Committee's audit of the presidential office, the first such review under the Lee Jae Myung administration.

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) called for investigators to uncover the truth behind former President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law declaration last December.

DP Rep. Chai Hyun-il raised concerns about a potential conflict of interest, taking issue with main opposition People Power Party (PPP) Rep. Joo Jin-woo's presence at the audit after serving as a presidential aide under the previous Yoon administration.

Joo accused the ruling side of trying to shut him down to protect Kim Hyun-ji, a longtime Lee aide who is currently the president's personal secretary, of whom Joo has been an outspoken critic.

The audit was adjourned after an hour of bipartisan discord, including body-checking and shouting.

At a policy inquiry session before the special committee on budgets and accounts, the parties differed on the government's 2026 budget totaling an all-time high of 728 trillion won, or around 502-point-nine billion U.S. dollars.

The DP stressed the need for additional government spending, while the PPP called for budget cuts.

The main opposition accused the ruling side of hypocrisy for reinstating the top office's special activity funds after cutting them from the budget plan put forth by the Yoon administration last year.